The Jewel
by Aratriss
Summary: SEQUEL TO THE APPRENTICE! Atara's back! This time she, Po, Tigress, and Monkey are on a quest to find the legendary Hope Jewel, but someone else is after it too. Please read and review! Credit for Dreamworks for making such awesome movies & for Nickelodeon for making a great show!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It had been four years since Atara came to the Jade Palace. Everything was back to normal. Shahhai was released from prison one year ago, and he returned to India, along with Keyna and her sons. Atara stayed at the Jade Palace, though. She wanted to stay and learn everything she can about kung fu, besides she loved China. It was pretty and mostly people. Her mother let her stay, thinking it may just be better that way, but she sorely missed her daughter.

It didn't matter now. Atara was in a safe environment with trustworthy people, and that's all that soothed Keyna's worrisome mind. Atara was now twelve years old, and she learned a lot about kung fu. Of course, she was still not ready to take on a real opponent, due to her small size.

Now on this day, Master Shifu was telling the Furious Five, Po, and Atara a tale of how two nations, the Fa-li and the Gao-lin, were fighting for ages. The fighting ceased when the Gao-lin nation surrendered to the Fa-li. The Fa-li cheered, for they had help from a gem, supposedly.

This gem was called the Hope Jewel, a magical jewel was supposed to grant people strength. Now, you might be thinking, "How can a rock give people strength?" Well, reader, I don't know, but this is just a rumor. Master Shifu seemed to believe, though.

"Now, students," he said after telling them the tale, "I want three of you to go and find this gem."

"But Master Shifu, we don't know where it is!" Po protested.

"No, but I may have an idea. The gem was last seen in the Fa-li nation. Luckily, they're not around anymore, so you'll be able to look in places that you'd normally wouldn't."

"Like someone's house?" Atara piped up.

"Yes, Atara, like someone's house," Shifu replied.

"Well, who's going and who's not?" Monkey asked.

"Oh, yes. The three who are going are Po, Tigress, and Atara," Shifu answered.

"What? Atara gets to go?"

"Yes, she needs to know what it's like to go on a mission, plus it'll help with her training."

Monkey pouted. He wanted to go on a treasure hunt badly, but he listened to Master Shifu. Meanwhile, Tigress, Po, and Atara went to pack their bags for the long journey ahead of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day, everyone was ready to go. Tigress and Po were all packed and ready to go. Master Shifu sent Tigress to get Atara, so Tigress went to Atara's room. Strangely enough, Atara wasn't in her room. Tigress searched everywhere in the Jade Palace, but she didn't find Atara anywhere. "She's probably outside," Tigress thought.

She went outside and searched the perimeters. She stopped. She heard someone playing beautiful flute music. She slowly walked toward the music. It was coming from the peach tree. Tigress saw a silhouette of a tiger cub. The cub was playing a flute and leaning against the tree. Tigress shook her head. She approached the cub. "Atara, it's time to go," she said. Atara jumped. "Tigress, don't sneak up on me like that!" she yelled.

"I wasn't sneaking up on you! Master Shifu sent me to get you"

"Oh, well in that case, I'm ready to go!"

Atara smiled and grabbed her bag. She followed Tigress back to the Jade Palace. When they entered, Master Shifu and Po were waiting for them. "Are you ready?" Shifu asked.

"Yes, Master Shifu," they replied in simultaneously.

"Good. Here's a map to help you get to the Fa-li nation."

He handed Po the map. "Now, go!" Shifu ordered. The three bowed respectfully and were off. Master Shifu watched his students sprint down the stairs. He sighed and walked away. Now, someone was watching Shifu. When he saw that Shifu had left. He jumped down and left the Jade Palace. He nimbly ran down the stairs, hoping to follow the three.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Are we there yet?" Po asked.

"No!" Tigress answered angrily.

Po whimpered. He was awfully bored. Tigress wouldn't talk to him, but he knew that Atara would. "Hey, Atara, what's your favorite color?" he asked her.

"Green," Atara replied.

"Cool. Mine is blue, 'cause it's all cold and steely! Wait, no, red like fire! No, no, no, yellow, 'cause it's all like happy 'n stuff! Wait, no, arg!"

"Just go with all three."

"That's a brilliant idea! I'll do that!"

Po kept blabbering on, much to Tigress's annoyance. Tigress suddenly stopped. "What's wr-" Po began to ask but was cut off by Tigress's hand clamping his mouth shut. "Shh! I heard something," Tigress whispered.

"I heard it, too," Atara whispered.

Po didn't hear anything, but the two tigresses had heard someone walking nearby. The noise had stopped. They looked around the area but found no one. "Maybe it was the wind in the trees," Po suggested.

"I doubt it," Tigress said. "We'd best keep our guard up."

They started walking again. Shortly after, Atara stopped and looked up at the trees. "What is it?" Po asked.

"I saw something moving up in that tree," she replied, pointing to a leafy tree.

"I'll go check it out," Tigress volunteered.

Tigress quickly climbed the tree. She saw someone darting away from her. She followed him. The person wasn't quick enough to get away, for Tigress pounced on him, sending them both onto the ground. Po and Atara ran over to them. They gasped when they saw whom Tigress has caught.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They all looked at him with disbelief. "Let go of me, Tigress!" Monkey shouted. Tigress got up and so did Monkey. "Monkey, why did you follow us?" Tigress asked angrily.

"I wanted to come along," Monkey replied.

"Wow, heh, looks like I'm not the only one who disobeys Shifu anymore!" Po said to himself.

"Hey! At least, I don't do it every thirty minutes," Monkey replied.

"I don't do it every thirty minutes!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!

"Do-"

"ENOUGH!" Tigress roared.

Po and Monkey stopped immediately. While Tigress was scolding them, Atara was thinking some deep thoughts. She snapped back to reality when her name was called. She looked up. "Let's go, Atara. It looks like Monkey's staying with us," Po said happily.

They continued their journey. Po and Monkey were conversing about whether pigs could fly or not, and Tigress and Atara were silent. It seemed by chance that Atara would grow fond of Tigress and strive to be just like her. It annoyed Tigress sometimes, but what could she do about it?

Later on that day, it began to grow dark. The four decided to stop and make a camp. Tigress, Monkey, and Po set up their tents, while Atara went to fetch some firewood. When that was done, they prepared and ate their dinner. It was now dark, and they went into their tents. The fire was put out.

When everyone was asleep, a little white cub holding a bag sneaked out of a tent. Atara crept over to a flat rock and pulled out a sheet of parchment and the map. The moon was bright enough to give her light, and she redrew the entire map on the parchment. Then, she rolled up the real map and put it back where she found it. Atara smiled. She grabbed her sketched map and stuck it in her bag. She slung her bag over her shoulder and darted away from the camp. Of course, she left a note so they wouldn't panic.

When she was far away from the camp, she slowed down her pace to a walk. She loved the sense of liberty. It made her feel mature and responsible yet cautious and more alert. She hoped to reach the Fa-li nation soon. She only wanted the jewel for herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next day, everyone woke up. They ate their breakfast in silence. Tigress went to go wake up Atara but didn't find her in her tent. She did find a note. Tigress read it and gasped. She ran out of Atara's tent. Po and Monkey looked at her. Tigress looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong, Tigress?" Po asked.

"Atara's gone!" Tigress screamed.

"What?" Monkey asked.

"Atara's gone!" Tigress repeated.

"You mean she left us?" Po asked.

"Yes, and she a left a note."

"What's it say?" Monkey asked.

"It says:

_Dear Tigress, Monkey, and Po,_

_I am going after the jewel. I need it. The jewel has something that can help me. You wouldn't understand. But don't try to stop me or else!_

_Sincerely,_

_Atara R._

Po and Monkey stared at each other in shock. They didn't understand the child's motive. Tigress was mad. "We need to get her before it's too late!" she declared. The others nodded. They quickly packed up their items and left their camp. They ran, much to Po's dislike. They were starting to get hopeless.

Monkey noticed something on the ground. It was a flute. "Hey, I found Atara's flute!" he told the others. "She's been here." Tigress shook her head. "She's probably miles away from here," she said doubtfully.

"Well, at least this gives us an idea of where she went," Po said optimistically.

The three traveled on. It was almost noon. Po's stomach growled. "Uh, guys, can we stop for lunch?" he asked. Monkey and Tigress looked at him. "No," Tigress said firmly, shooting and ice cold glance at him. Po choked a whimper that threatened to come out. As much as he hated to admit it, sometimes Tigress scared him.

They soon arrived at a dead forest. Po looked at it fearfully. "Uh, do we have to go in there?" he asked.

"Yeah, you aren't scared are you?" Monkey asked.

"Me, scared? Ha! What gives you that idea?

_Five minutes later…_

"AAAAHHH! What was that? Where is that coming from? Did you guys see that? We're gonna die—" Tigress punched Po before he could continue screaming. Monkey fell and rolled on the floor in laughter. Po was trembling and rubbing his arm. Monkey sat up and wiped a tear from his eye. He stood up and started laughing again. Po glared at him. Tigress slapped Monkey. "Let's go," she growled, clearly annoyed at this. Monkey stifled a giggle that threatened to come out. "It's not funny," Po mumbled as they moved on. He was still scared, partially to his fear of ghosts and supernatural phenomena. He decided to sing a song in his mind to try to soothe his nerves, but that didn't work.

A twig snapped behind Po. He yelped and clung to Tigress. Tigress growled and shoved him off of her. "What is your problem?" she yelled at him.

"I heard a noise…" Po explained.

"Actually, that was just me," Monkey confessed.

"Oh."

Embarrassed and slightly humiliated, Po looked down. He wished he could just disappear from this spooky forest and reappear at some happy place. Of course, that was physically impossible. For now, he would have to endure.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Atara ran as fast as she could. She remembered the stories her mother had told her of great magical jewels hidden China. One of them was the Hope Jewel. Her mother had told her that the Hope Jewel would increase its user's power and abilities. Atara wanted that. She was sick and tired of being the small one, the weak one, the— The list could go on and on.

She stopped to catch her breath. Up ahead was a small village. The sign on the entry gate read "Dai Lu Village." Atara entered the village. No one welcomed her, but she did get some strange looks. I mean, it's not everyday a white tiger cub walks into your town, right?

A few kids walked over to her. "Hey, who're you?" a chunky pig asked. Atara ignored them and walked away, but they followed her. One of them threw a rock at her. She was expecting it, though. She turned around and caught the rock. "Leave me alone, unless you want to get your butt kicked," she threatened. The boys laughed. Atara snarled, balled her fists, and walked off. They still followed her.

They were mocking her. They threw rocks at her. They threw a knife at her. That was the last straw. Atara growled, startling the boys. "You asked for it!" she practically screamed at them. She pounced at them and growled, intimidating them. The boys scattered and ran away screaming and bawling like two year olds. She smirked. One point for her, and zero for them.

"Wow, that was incredible," a sleepy voice praised.

"Oh, thanks," Atara said, turning around.

She faced a snake with amber spots and yellowed fangs. "You really showed those bullies! I don't think I've ever seen them that scared!" the snake laughed. Atara smiled. "My name's Atara, what's yours?"

"I'm Clover. What are you doing in these parts anyways?"

"I'm on a treasure hunt."

"Cool! What are you searching for?"

"The mysterious Hope Jewel."

"Awesome! Can I come? Please?"

"I don't know… Won't your mom be worried?"

"I don't have a mom; I'm an orphan."

"Oh."

"What about your mom?"

"She's, uh, in India. I'm just here, because we're having family issues."

"Oh, that makes sense. So about the treasure..?"

"Fine, you can come…"

"Yay!"

Atara sighed. Personally, she wanted to go alone, but it'd be safer to travel with a buddy. Clover slithered happily next to Atara as they wove through the busy streets of the village. They pass through a busy marketplace, where Atara bought some food. Soon, they made it to the exit of the village. A stone hit Clover in the head. "Ow!" The girls turned around. The town bullies were back! Atara growled. "I thought you ran away like a bunch babies!" She yelled angrily.

"You don't scare us anymore!" a tall goat shouted.

The boys pulled out some knives. Atara stood in front of Clover. "Just so you know, I'm the princess of India," she remarked, "and I learned kung fu from the best master in China, Master Shifu!" The boys gasped. "You learned from him?" a bunny asked. "You're lying!" the chubby pig from earlier accused. Atara shook her head then got in her battle stance. The boys ran at her and tried to attack her. Atara evaded them easily. She roundhouse kicked the pig, causing him to drop his knife. Atara grabbed it and used it to fight off the other boys. Well, let's just say the boys weren't as experienced in kung fu fighting as she was. She kicked the boys' butts and sent running. "Yeah, run!" Atara screamed angrily, as the boys ran.

She turned around and examined Clover's shocked facial expression. "What?" Atara asked. Clover blinked twice. "You just kicked their butts…" Clover trailed off. Atara shrugged as if it were normal to fight off mean kids. Clover blinked again. "Let's go, before they show up with the officials," Atara suggested. Clover nodded and nervously looked back. The two girls then darted out of the village.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Po, we're here," Tigress announced. Po did not reply. Tigress and Monkey looked around. Po was not in sight. "Po?" Tigress asked.

"Up here, guys," Po shouted.

Tigress and Monkey looked up. Po was at the top of dead tree. "What are you doing up there?" Monkey shouted the question.

"Oh, you know, just hanging," Po replied.

Monkey and Tigress looked at each other. Tigress walked over to the tree and kicked it hard. Po came falling out of the tree. He landed flat on his back. "Ow," he said. He got to his feet. "So, uh, we're here?" he asked. Tigress nodded. Po looked at the small village. There were some people walking around. A few merchants had set up some booths nearby. Po spotted a goat selling apples. His stomach grumbled, and he had a sudden craving for apples. "Man, am I hungry!" Po said to himself. He looked at the others, who were interviewing the townsfolk to see if they knew anything about Atara.

_I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I bought a few apples_, thought Po. He walked over to the goat's apple cart. "How much for two apples?" Po asked.

"Ten yuan," the goat replied.

Po paid the merchant and walked back to the others with his apples in hand. He took a bite out of one. Monkey looked at Po. "Where'd you get those apples?" he asked.

"Ovah thar," Po, with his mouth full, answered, pointing the apple cart.

Monkey looked at the cart. Tigress had just finished talking to a villager, a chubby piglet. "Ok, Atara's been here," she told them. Po and Monkey looked at each other. Tigress turned back to the piglet. "Do you know where she went?" Tigress asked him.

"She left through the southern exit," the piglet replied.

Po suddenly noticed that the child had a huge bruise on his cheek and a black eye. "What happened to you?" Po asked sympathetically.

"That girl you're looking for beat me up for no reason!" the kid lied.

"Aw! Well, we'll make sure she gets punished for that."

Po, Monkey, and Tigress walked away. They headed to the southern exit. They passed the quaint town, with its white buildings and green-shingled, curved roofs. After a while, they reached the southern exit. They left the town and continued on their way. Little did they know that they were being followed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Readers, I am sorry for not posting in a while. I know this story is getting confusing with all the changes, but please bear with me. School has been taking up much of my time. So... yeah... The next chapter will introduce the true villain of the story. I promise I will try to get it up at least by next Sunday. Thanks for reading.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Six wolves watched our three heroes. They followed them. They watched Po turn around and scan the area. "Uh, guys, I have the feeling that we're being followed," he said. The wolves' eyes widened with fear that they should be found out. "Knock it off, Po," Tigress replied, rolling her eyes. They walked on. The wolves sighed in relief. "That was a close one," the shortest of them said in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, we got lucky for now, but our luck may run out at anytime. Luck is funny like that," an eye-patched wolf whispered.

The wolves stalked our heroes all the way to a stone gate, where two small children sat staring at it. "Atara!" Po exclaimed, hugging the poor tiger cub. Tigress began to scold Atara for running off. Monkey noticed Clover sitting nearby. "Uh, Atara, who's your friend?" he asked.

"Uh, that's Clover. She wanted to come with me," Atara replied.

Po pulled out the map. The wolves gasped. "Hey, guys, we're at Fa-li," Po announced. The wolves smiled. "Men, that jewel will be ours," the leader, a black wolf, said to them. They watched the five enter the gate. At the right moment, the wolves followed. They made their way into the old ruins of the fallen nation. Unfortunately, the short wolf stepped on a twig, causing a loud CRACK to reverberate through the ruins.

Our heroes turned around to face the wolves. "I told you someone following us!" Po exclaimed.

"Not really the time, Po," Tigress retorted.

"Where's the jewel?" the leader wolf inquired.

"Why would we tell you?" Monkey asked him.

"You're right. Why would you tell me? Men, attack them! Except for you Shen-li, you are coming with me!"

The leader wolf and Shen-li, who was the short wolf, ran off, leaving the rest of the wolves to fight off the heroes. They fought bravely. Po flipped eye-patch wolf onto the floor. Monkey kicked a semi-fat wolf's head. Tigress punched a red-eyed wolf. While the fight was happening, Atara and Clover set out to find the Hope Jewel. They had to be quick, especially since the leader wolf and Shen-li were finding it too.

Author's Note: Hey, readers. Sorry it took so long AGAIN to post! I've been so busy with school, so I haven't been able to write until now. Anyways, the story is going to end soon. Then, I can start working on a new fanfic. (hip hip hooray) I'll try my best to post soon. Well, time to eat some breakfast. Bye!


	9. Chapter 9

Woot! Woot! Two chapters in a week! That's a new record! XD

Chapter 9

The leader wolf perused through a wooden chest in a dimly lighted room. He emptied out the chest did not find what he wanted. He growled in frustration. "Um, boss, sir," Shen-li spoke up, "what does the gem look like again?" The boss gave Shen-li a loud growl. Shen-li backed off immediately. The boss walked looked at the wooden floor. He noticed something odd about one of the planks of wood. It was slightly lifted, as if to hide something. "Of course," he muttered. "Of course!" He tore off that plank, revealing a hole. He thrust his paw into the hole and grabbed a cold object. He pulled out a good-sized green gem. "At last! At long last, the Hope Jewel is mine!" he exclaimed.

A green light illuminated around his paws. A green fire raged in his eyes. Shen-li's jaw dropped. "B-boss?" he whimpered. The boss didn't reply. Shen-li continued whimper the same words. When the boss didn't reply, Shen-li decided to call his boss something his boss hadn't been called in a long time. "Ru Yang?" The boss whirled around. "Don't you dare call me by my name," he ordered quietly but in a creepy manner. Shen-li backed away. He's seen Ru angry before but not like this. This was the time to run, and run he did.

Ru Yang groaned. "Never hiring locals again," he muttered as he left the building. He paused and saw Atara and Clover. They saw him too. Atara glared at him. Clover backed off. "Give us the gem!" Atara demanded.

"I'm not giving you anything, little girl. You're lucky I'm not one to hurt children," Ru replied.

"You're lucky I'm not old enough to kill!"

"Food for thought: don't go looking for trouble or trouble will come looking for you."

"Who said I was looking for trouble?"

"No one. You just implied it."

Atara growled. Ru chuckled. "You act as if you can take me on your own," he observed.

"Maybe I can," she replied, positioning herself for an oncoming fight.

Before a fight could happen, four whimpering wolves came running on all fours toward Ru. They were followed by Tigress, Po, and Monkey. Atara sighed. She knew she couldn't take this guy on her own anyways. Ru smiled. "This will be fun," he remarked, getting into his kung fu stance.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Within a few minutes, fists were flying at Ru. Ru dodged them easily. He threw a few punches. Po kicked him in the back, causing Ru to fly into a building. Ru shook his head. He dodged one of Tigress's attacks. Ru was only dodging. His plan was to exhaust them. It seemed to be working. Ru attacked now. He easily took down Monkey. Tigress and Po were a different story. They managed to stay in the game a bit longer, but they were getting tired. Ru back-flipped, dropping a bomb in the process. The bomb exploded. Tigress and Po flew backwards. Ru smiled.  
During the whole time, Atara and Clover were watching. Ru turned to face them. "You still want that gem?" he asked tauntingly. He pulled a dagger from his pocket. "Never mind, I'll just silence you two." He laughed maniacally as he walked to the children. Atara and Clover slowly backed away. Fear was written on their faces. Ru Yang grinned menacingly. He lifted the dagger up but dropped it. He yelped and pulled a dagger out of back.

Ru turned around. Shen-li and the other wolves stood their. "Traitors! All of you!" Ru yelled at them.

"Ru Yang, you are crazy!" Shen-li yelled.

"Crazy? Ha! I'm not crazy! You just want the gem all for yourselves!"

"I don't care about a stupid rock!"

Ru growled and attacked his men, but he was outnumbered. He did his best. He took out two of his men. Three left. Ru blocked a punch from Shen-li, but one kick to his side knocked the gem out of his pocket. The gem rolled toward where Po lay. Po grabbed it. He felt his energy coming back. He felt revived. He gasped. "Awesome!" he remarked. He smiled and then walked over to the wolves. Ru Yang was unconscious. "He's all yours," Shen-li said, kicked Ru over to Po. Shen-li and the other wolves ran off, leaving Po bewildered. "Did they just turn good?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Atara answered, while walking over to him.

"Weird."

They, along with Clover, went over to the others, who were just beginning to recover. "Guys, are you okay?" Po asked.

"Yeah, good as a goat," Monkey replied, standing up.

"Do you have the gem?" Tigress inquired.

"Yep," Po answered.

"Can we go home?" Atara asked.

"Yep."

So they headed back to the Valley of Peace.


	11. Chapter 11

Well, this is it. The LAST chapter. Now, you'll see why Atara wanted the gem in the first place. Hehehehe!

Chapter 11

After dropping Clover off at her village, our heroes proceeded to Valley of Peace. When they entered, the villagers cheered and welcomed them warmly. Our heroes, excluding Tigress, smiled broadly as they marched toward the Jade Palace. Master Shifu and the rest of the Furious Five greeted them at the Jade Palace. "Did you find the Hope Jewel?" Shifu inquired.

"Yeah, it was a piece of cake with villain frosting and the jewel on top," Po replied figuratively.

"Sounds delicious," Mantis commented.

"Ooh, can I have some cake?" Atara asked.

Unfortunately, Atara was denied a piece of cake. Instead, Tigress took her aside for a strict scolding about running away. Po gave Master Shifu the jewel. Master Shifu admired it. "It's just like I imagined it to be," he remarked. "Does it really have power?"

"Um, well, it kind of replenished my energy in some kind of mystical way," Po replied.

"What?"

"Yeah, it was awesome!"

While Shifu put the jewel in his room, Po then changed the subject and started telling everyone what the journey was like and blah, blah, blah. That night, a ghostly silhouette sneaked into Shifu's room. The figure silently searched the room until she found the Hope Jewel. The small person sneaked out and left the Jade Palace. She hiked to the Pool of Sacred Tears.

The person walked into the moonlight, revealing her as Atara. The white cub gazed at the gem. She smiled. It glowed. "The key is the gem," she whispered. A bright green light surrounded Atara. Atara threw the gem into the pool. She gasped and fainted. A white spirit came out of her. The spirit was in the form of an adult white tigress. "Finally, I am free from that child's body," she whispered. She bent over, kissed the unconscious child, and disappeared into the night. Atara woke up shortly after. She blinked. "What happened?" she asked. Atara stood up. She saw the Jade Palace and walked back to it.


End file.
